Bill Gates and Seinfeld Ads Prove Microsoft is so 80s

Crispin Porter + Bogusky were given a daunting task: make Microsoft appealing. The advertising agency responsible for the creepy Burger King ads were doomed from the beginning. We're in the Age of Apple. How to compete? It's obvious by these ads that Microsoft is not trying to appeal to the younger generation.

Jerry Seinfeld and his self-titled show debuted in 1989 and had supremely successful run for almost an entire decade. The shows are running now in syndication and can be viewed a few times a night by those with cable. While many of the topics are still relevant the clothing and technology are certainly not. So why try to rebrand your empire with an outdated comedian?

It is no news that Apple has capitalized on the younger generation's share of the technology market. Steve Jobs has expanded his empire from desktops to laptops, cell phones, ipods and more. He wisely chose the youth market to appeal to due to their thirst for new technology and longevity in the market.

It's almost as Crispin Porter + Bogusky and Bill Gates threw in their cards and admitted defeat in regards to that market. And then, instead of spending $10 million dollars to use Jerry Seinfeld to sell computers they threw money in his pocket to reassure their current customers they are still on the same page. Even if that page was taken out of a book originally conceived in the '80s. The shoe store ad is silly and, like the show, about nothing. The family ad, about two super wealthy famous men trying to connect with a middle-class family is border-line insulting. They are not connecting with anyone because theirs is a tiny elite group to begin with.

Although the ads have now been pulled (but are being said to have only ever been designed for a two-week run) the bad taste is still left in the audience's mouth. Were we supposed to "get" those? If they are about nothing why spend $10 million on a two-week run? Who is Microsoft trying to appeal to? I suppose we can only wait and see phase two in Crispin Porter + Bogusky's master scheme.